Losing the Moment

Fact: All moments arrive and pass. I think, generally as humans, we learn the meaning of this more-so as we get older. For the past few years I have been coming to realize this more and more in a variety of ways. Today I had another poignant reminder:

As stated in an earlier post I have very much gotten into photography - and am currently working on several particular studies to showcase in the near future. Some of these require specific conditions. On my way to to the gym I decided to get some (decent) coffee and took a route I normally don't. It was raining, but not too hard. In crossing the street, at just the right angle and lighting conditions, I found an incredible example of one of my studies... but I had dallied to get to the gym and really wanted to get some coffee another block away. I figured: I'll just snap some pics on the way back.

Well - coffee took longer than I thought it would, as I waited for the caffeine to hit, and generally lost track of time. The lighting changed, and it started raining harder. Heading back toward the gym, I carefully looked in the spots where I'd found my subject. Gone. All gone. Washed away in the muck of NYC streets and drainage. I became annoyed at myself, as this was not the first time I'd experienced this lesson.

I realize we all do this from to time: not recording a quick 'demo', not writing down an idea, inspiration, or quote that wafted through our busy heads... or, perhaps worse(?) not expressing an honest emotion we've been feeling for a special friend or loved one.

The moment passes - the rain gets harder and the drainage of time carries it all away. No use in crying over it, nor beating ourselves up... but those moments will never happen in the same way again.

Lesson: take that moment... steal it as you can, express yourself and know that even if it wasn't perfect you know that you took advantage of something that may never come 'round again.

Wire to the Ear is one of my absolute favorite blog-spots. Oliver writes concise and interesting entries about music, technology, life, art, and personal experiences as a performer/producer. A recent entry concerning depression and art was of particular interest and so I am re-posting a link to it below. Leonard Cohen has written some great, deep and very moving material. Hope you dig this!


Victory Over Suffering

Inspirational Listening

I know what inspiration feels like - but it's not often easy to identify it's source. For the first time in a long time I came home, checked out the Sprawl Electronic's favorite SoundCloud tracks and just let myself drink in other people's work. It's great to hear all the surprisingly nice production people are doing "out there". Sometimes one can get so consumed with trying to figure out what they should be doing "next" that they don't make time to listen to what other contemporaries are doing. And sometimes that's inspiration enough. Breathe, "drink in" and see what sticks and perhaps even consider why - or not. I've added a few of these faves to my fave SoundCloud list and I'm diggin' some greatly varied tracks. A nice thing to do following dinner with friends from out of town.

Here's an improv I did on my iPhone last summer... or was it two? It's freely downloadable.
copepod - Song for a Blind Alley by copepod

Chaos for Christmas

I'm notoriously late for lots of things - and because of that I'm often inclined to miss certain sales/items that may only have limited runs. BugBrand is a company I discovered a few years back. A small British based "electronic boutique" company that makes uniquely hand-crafted synth and sound... objects. Part of why I love these machines is there are no presets. You gotta make new things from scratch every time you use it... essentially forcing creativity. 


The last few times they introduced their AudioWeevils I had missed the production run - not this time! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of their latest creation: behold... the 2012 Edition AudioWeevil (and logic schematic).

Controlled chaos to thine ears. Maybe it'll be a fun Christmas after all!

Does anybody hear this?

So... it's been several months since my left ear-drum ruptured, due to a severe inner-ear infection. I'm not the first or only musician to deal with this malady, but the nature of what I produce demands critical listening, which has been hindered by my newly acquainted tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and generally muffled/altered hearing.

This sucks.

I've always valued my hearing as one of my greatest assets. And now I feel somewhat broken. I listen to works of mine and second guess their quality even more-so than I normally might. It's been a struggle to not to let this get me down... not to blame myself or my body for not "working properly".

In response, I've been attempting to concentrate on my photography and some other interests. It's been somewhat helpful, though I'd give nearly anything to have my regular hearing back. For some odd reason it's been worse the past few days, and conditions at work seem to aggravate it more readily.

On a brighter note, I went to visit my very talented and good friend, Charles Cohen two weekends ago in Philly. An inspiring, fun, relaxing and rejuvenating trip. Thank you Charles - it meant so very much to me!

This is a clip of Charles and Masri performing in Philly - Good fun!

Thank you, Mr. Jobs

for laying the technological foundations that would translate vision into art, and producing tools that would fit into everyone's pockets in order to make art with.

the tyranny of gear, cables and process...

(a repost from a journal I wrote in September of 2009)

So this is what happens. As a musician - and I'm sure, most any artist - one goes through phases of methodology and equipment. One changes, progresses (hopefully) and one's tools change as well. We acquire new things and abandon others based on whims, techniques and/or technologies. Each new toy/instrument invites new ways to work, think and approach our goals. Budget factors in there, somewhere.

When I was sixteen or so, I had a small studio setup. One synth, a piano, and a digital delay. Three cables, roughly. This expanded. A four track recorder, speakers, my own amplifier/stereo, a two track, etc. More things are acquired. A drum machine, a computer, more effects... more cables.

Then another synth, a mixer, more effects, etc. WAY more cables. This is phase II... perhaps. How does one quantify? Computer adds MIDI. Different flavors of cable.

College. Music program. Another synth or two - more effects, more cables. Live performances necessitate more cables - and longer ones at that. One must be prepared for variables in PA accessibility. Microphones for vocals (another band project - now I'm the singer as well). A rack-mount synth - and another... and another.

Now my synths have more polyphony - and more outputs. I'm using nearly all the channels on my 16 track mixer now - sometimes more. A sub-mixer is added. Small effects boxes. More drum machines - individual outs - multiprocessing... everything stereo - or more.

No computer anymore - not for music at least. It's all discrete boxes with multi-outs and effects. Nearly everything has it's own sequencer and clock. All machines must be synced via MIDI and/or DIN sync. More cables - more boxes - more channels - digital and analog. And more live performances.

Because there's no way to back my work (no computer/MIDI) it must all be recorded - right to two track. Live takes - in realtime. Whomever says electronic music is not live knows nothing about it. Every track is a live take. One takes the high points with the lows and strives for the best take. Now I'm writing and recording one... two... three tracks - per night! I have no choice - if I get an idea I must record it before the spark is lost. I'm obsessed. I come home from work and record from 10p-6am. This is my oxygen.

I borrow synthesizers and drum machines I can't afford - a Multi-Moog, Arp 2600, TB303, Microsynth, TR909. Some I get to perform with. I use machines at friend's studios - a Wave, Moog Modular, MKS80, Buchla 200. Learn them all - even if I never use them again.

You become an expert at quickly making checklists for performances/gear. Packing, being one's own roadie, setup, performing, and breakdown... with setup again upon getting home at 5am. It's joy, thrill, headache, and obsession.

Things change again. Too many boxes, too many cables. Too much stuff - this crap is heavy! Other solutions - must simplify. An MC-505. All in one box - 2 or 4 outputs. Sequencer, synthesizer, drum machine, multi-effects processor - performance interface. One learns to work around it's limitations... the mono-surface - it's lack of modularity. But its' one box and a few cables. Several years of learning, performing and recording on one machine. Several albums worth of tracks - and countless more experiments no one will ever hear. I learn to use it to control/sequence other studio gear for variety - interesting results. Every interface enforces a new approach to composition. Much like every brush or chisel. A tool's a tool's a tool.

Projects at home demand more studio time. Remixes, sound design, audio editing. More computer centric. A new phase. Machines age... buttons don't respond - digital OSs gets buggy. It happens. Onto the new. MIDI control surfaces, new software - new methodologies and approaches.

I get my first laptop. Sleek, and fast. I've sold much of my discrete gear - even the 808 (never shoulda done THAT!!). Too much space, too many cables. Onto the new.

So here I am. All these damn cables in bins and boxes. Taking up space... collecting dust. So now I must sort... and hopefully find new homes. And that's what I've been up to lately. Sorting, measuring, taking stock.

I dream of the age of wireless-ness - often.